Levi Taking in the Sunshine

You know, I have always been a firm believer that dogs are smart and my Levi is no exception. Levi wanted to go outside. As usual, we opened up the slider and let him out. I assumed he had headed downstairs to get his business done. But several minutes later Steve said, your dog didn't go downstairs, his on the porch basking in the sunshine. Lo and behold, he was caught in the very act of taking in liquid sunshine! Even Levi knows how important vitamin D is, wow what a dog!

While outdoors we took time to put water in the bird bath and to check out the beautiful rhododendrons in the backyard.

I absolutely love, love, love, flowers (as long as they don't stinketh). God made so many varieties for us to enjoy.

Suds Anyone?

Suds Anyone? And I am not talking about the Dog and Suds Restaurant back in my home town! As Steve and I were watching our next fitness video, we noticed that the washing machine wasn't acting quite right. When I went to check on it, I couldn't see inside the barrel. All was white! You can probably guess what we got to collect... Yep, four buckets full of SUDS!

Steve and I are still trying to figure out what happened. We went by church tonight to retrieve a phone number, and while we were there Steve saw the towels from the Men's Breakfast sitting on the counter in the kitchen. Steve grabbed them and we took them home to wash them. Our best guess at this point is that someone might have spilled some dish soap and sopped it up with the towels.

I've never seen so many suds before and I was really concerned the washing machine was broken. But thank the Lord, once we got the suds out of the machine it was able to work like normal. For sure, these kitchen towels should be spotless!

Lilacs and More

Thank you Vicki for the beautiful flowers. They have been such a delight to have in the office and I can't believe how quickly they opened up.

Does anyone know what type of flower this white one is?

An Artist I'm NOT!

Twice a year a group of ladies and I are assigned a month to provide decorations and refreshments for the Ladies Bible Fellowship (LBF). Since May is the last fellowship for the season (as the ladies take a break through the summertime,) our group decided it would be appropriate to have a skit.

Now as you can see from the drawing above I am not the best artist in the world, but I took some time to free hand a car. The first car is a luxury model. As I soon realized the car was too big to put on the cardboard I was going to use to make a car, I had to scale it down...thus the bug.

Stupid me, forgot to take a picture of the final car we used in the skit, but suffice it to say, it did turn out cute. The car even included the flower most bugs come with when you purchase a new one and a license plate that said, "HVNBND". Can you guess what it is?

The skit was about a younger Christian woman (Kami) who worries over every thing: her families health, her husband's job, spending enough time with her families, bringing work home from the office, etc. You know what I am talking about, don't you? The younger Christian woman would call to get advice from the older mature Christian woman (Susan) throughout the skit. The older woman always encouraged her not to worry and to remember that she was a child of the King and that he would take care of her.

The last scene is at a coffee shop where she has the older Christian woman meet up with her. She takes her to her car and opens up the trunk. Lo and behold, there is a body to be found! Come to find out it is Mrs. Worry Wart (Raquel). Mrs. Worry Wart always hangs around and wants us to fret over things instead of giving our concerns and worries to the Lord to handle. As the older Christian woman opens up the Bible and shares God's WORD, Mrs. Worry Wart disappears.

God is so good! His WORD gives us such hope and peace. Here are a couple great verses to quote to Satan when you begin to fret or worry:

Philippians 4;6-7 "Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

I Peter 5:7 "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for me."

I do have to end this post by thanking Kami, Susan and Raquel for stepping in and playing the parts. These ladies did a terrific job and were such a blessing to all the ladies. Kudos to you all!

Mother's Day - May 13, 2012

I am so glad I got the opportunity to speak to my mom on Mother's Day. It is so easy, at times, for me to take for granted the time I have with my mom. My mom will be 79 years old this year and I want her to know that I love her more now, than ever before.

Dear Mom,

Mom-ma, As I continue to grow older, there is not a day that goes by, that I don't realize all that you have sacrificed and given to me. Your love never failed, even if I was not loveable at times, even if I made dumb decisions, even if I failed to show you how much I cared for you.

Mom-ma, I love you and I thank you for all that you have shown me throughout the years, for your love and patience, and for your persistence in training me up in the way I should go.

Mom-ma, thank you for all the cool costumes you made for us [Teri and I] on Halloween, thank you for making Christmas magical, and thank you for all the birthday presents and parties, too.

Mom-ma, thank you for taking care of me when I was a child (hyperventilating, nose bleeds, bike spills, rock in knee screams, dressing tantrums, doctors visits, hospital surgeries, school frustrations, missing the bus, and many more issues [not enough space to write them all down].

Mom-ma, thank you for providing a home over my head, for clothing me and for feeding me, even when times were tough, you always found a way.

Mom-ma, thank you for listening to me even when I didn't/don't make a whole lot of sense, thanks for being a sounding board.

Mom-ma, thank you for loving me when I wasn't loveable.

Mom-ma, most of all thank you for being what a mom is suppose to be. A mom sacrifices all for her children and I believe you have done this, at times, to your detriment. I am so glad God gave me you as my mom. Your the best mom, my only regret is that I haven't loved you enough...you deserve so much more!

I love you mom!

Your daughter,
Sherri

Palau - May 13, 2012

If you are not a history buff, or have never been in the military, you may have never heard of the island of Palau. This past Sunday, Brother Terry McClure and his wife, Gloria spent Sunday evening with BBC sharing the ministry God has given them in Micronesia.

The service started out by honoring Pastor Sargent and his wife Vicki, for their service to the Lord. Well, Pastor thought it was just that, but it ended up being more than that. Our deacons and school principal were behind the scenes preparing for a skit that Bro. McClure invited them to participate in. The skit was based on the ceremonial customs of the country of Palau. It was a great adventure and lesson for all to learn. It was also very entertaining when they presented Pastor Sargent with a raw fish to eat. Do you think he partook?

Brother McClure has really been blessed with the ability of storytelling. This is one of the primary ways they reach the tribes in Palau and it seems to work very well. They have been missionaries there now for ten years.

Based on the pictures we saw, Palau looks like a beautiful place and a place that needs to be visited, indeed!

Steve and I were also given the opportunity to take them out to lunch and that was such a blessing! You can tell they have been married for a while because they think a like on so many levels. They are very fun people to be around and they love to fellowship.

We will continue to pray for their ministry, the people of Palau, and for the time they are in the states on furlough. May the Lord bless their efforts!

Geist Ordination - May 6, 2012

On May 6th, Bible Baptist Church held an ordination service for Brother Tim Geist. We spent a full day in the house of the Lord. In the Sunday School hour Brother Geist was interrogated by Pastor Sargent and Evangelist Wayne Walley on his doctrinal stands. Brother Geist answered all of their questions very well.

The Worship Service was full of songs, specials, charges, messages and an appreciation gifts for Tim and his wife, Katie. Afterwards we all wandered over to the Fellowship Hall for some chow. Brother Perez was on his game and delivered a meal fit for Kings.

Once the meal of gladness was complete an afternoon service began. This service gave Pastor Geist the opportunity to share his vision for the church with the members. After this service was finished we all headed back to the Fellowship Hall for dessert and coffee.

By the time we were finished with clean up we were exhausted. It was a long day (9:30am - 5:30pm), but a day that will be remembered in the history of our church.

Congratulations, Pastor Tim Geist!

April Overview

When I look back over the month of April, not a whole lot of things were going on, beside the ordinary routine of life. However, no matter how "routine" one's life is there should always be blessings to report.

Blessing #1: I praise the Lord for my church family and my Pastor and his wife. I truly believe God orchestrates and places every member in the body. I love the people that make up Bible Baptist Church!

Blessing #2: I praise the Lord for God's provision in our lives and the lives of my church family.

Blessing #3: I thank the Lord for those in our body who have gifts and talents that Steve and I do not possess. Bro. McDowell was able to replace three of our fenced gates. They really look great and work well too!

Blessing #4: I am a great Aunt to baby Jaison Edwards; Chuckie's little boy.

Blessing #5: Our missionaries from the Philippines arrived safely and we were able to enjoy a meal with them and also hear Bro. Walley preach this past Sunday morning.

It appears I have a theme going on here and it seems to be wrapped around my church and its body of believers. I do praise the Lord for how he uses each member and their gifts to be a blessing to others. Looking forward to the many extra activities in the month of May.